This week at Fredonia Central School district, seventh-, eighth-, 10th-, and 11th-grade students returned to in-person instruction. With these grade levels being in the buildings, it marked a milestone for in-person learning in the district.

Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Bradley Zilliox said the district has been receiving calls from other schools, wondering how the process is going. “I know some of our principals have received calls from people in other districts, wondering how we were able to put that in place,” he said. “I’ve also received calls from other superintendents wondering about our process.”

Despite a slow start to the school year in some respects, Zilliox said they have positioned themselves to finish the school year strong, citing a team effort from the Board, Administrators, and the Return to School committee. Despite the success, he does not want to get complacent.

“I know we’re feeling like there’s a bit of a break in all the COVID anxiety,” Zilliox said during this week’s school board meeting. “We have been sending notifications to each class as they’ve returned to the building about maintaining a positive attitude, being friendly, while keeping social distance, hand sanitizing, and wearing masks. We are keeping an eye on the big picture and safety is still our largest priority.”

Zilliox said that students are being fully cooperative to all of the circumstances going on around them, and are encouraged to ask questions or ask for help wherever is needed.